Electric-motor wheel.



Patented Feb. 20, I900.

4 Sheets-fleet 'l,

rm: NORRIS wznzns co. mowed-mm msnmurm, b. c.

J. T. WHITTLESEY.

ELECTRIC MOTOR WHEEL.

(Application filed June 26, 1899.)

filo Model.)

No. 043,054. Patented-Feb. 20,1000.

J. T. WHITTLESEY.

ELECTRIC MOTOR WHEEL.

. Appliration filed June 26, 1899.)

(N0 Modal.) 4. Shoots-Sheet 2.

Witwwwo m: womils PLTERS 0a., morourmi, wAsv-lmmom n. c;

No. 643,854. Patented Feb. 20, 1900i J. T. WHITTLESEY.

ELECTRIC IDTQRWHEEL. (Appliration fi led June 26, 1899.) (No Model.)

l %dZ -@5.

rm: "Dims PETERS cu. PHOWLITHD. WASHINGTON, u. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMESTIIOMAS IVIIITTLESEY, OF ELIZABETH, NEYV JERSEY.

ELECTRIC-MOTOR WHEEL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 643,854, dated February20, 1900.

Application filed June 26, 1899. $erial No. 721,955. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, J AMES THOMAS WHIT- TLEsEY,a citizen of the UnitedStates,residin g at Elizabeth, in the county of Union and State of NewJersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric-Motor Wheels; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, andexact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilledin the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of referencemarked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to electric motors for vehicles; and its object isto provide an improved motor-wheel, or, in other words, a motor-wheelwhich at the same time constitutes a wheel for the vehicle. Such adevice is not broadly new, several patents having been heretoforegranted for a car-wheel which embodies a motor or for a motor having oneof its reacting electrodynamic elements ,(fieldmagnets and armatures)attached directly to the wheel or to a rotating axle to which the wheelis secured. My improvements aim to make such a device lighter and morecompact and efficient. I accomplish this in part by utilizing the web ofthe wheel between the hub and the rim as a portion of the magneticcircuit, thereby reducing the weight of the field-magnets and saving thespace which would otherwise be occupied by them. My improvements alsoaim to provide means for maintaining a constant air-gap between thefield-poles and the armature and for adj usting this gap when necessary.

The motor-wheel embodying my invention is a strong rigid structurecapable of resisting side thrusts and twisting strains. As a motor ithas great starting torque and gives good efficiency with a current ofcomparatively-low voltage. It is therefore especially available forautomobiles deriving power from storage or primary batteries. In suchvehicles it enables the center of gravity to be placed at a lower pointthan usual, since the space beneath the body ordinarily used for themotors is available for the body and the battery-chambers. A drop-axlecan be used if it is desired to carry the weight at a stilllower level.I This lowering of the car or vehicle body is one of the chiefadvantages to be gained by my invention and one point in which thedesign of the French vehicles is superior to the American. Furthermore,in electric automobiles it is customary to use a small motor hung on theaxle in order to economize weight and space; but a small m0- tor must berun at a high speed in order to develop the proper counter electromotiveforce, and this requires speed-reducing gearin g between the motor andthe driving-wheels of the vehicle. Such gearing is generally noisy,owing to the necessity of using an open form of tooth and the veryconsiderable wear that soon takes place. The efficiency decreases veryfast, also, with the rapid wear of the gears. By my invention I avoidall this trouble, since my motor-wheel is gearless, and thereforenoiseless, and in addition will maintain its designed efliciency, asthere are no gears to wear and increase the friction.

One of the great difficulties with the present power for drivingvehicles is the torsional strains developed in the wheels. This designeliminates these strains by applying the forces (by means of thereaction between the armature and field) at the wheel-tire and not atthe hub or spokes.

Another advantage of my motor-wheel is its capacity for use as anelectric brake. It

has a distinct advantage over the small high speed motor, whose armatureis light and of too small a diameter to be serviceable in braking. Thestrains are too great, also, on the small gears, while in my design theretardation is all out close to the wheel-rim and no strains aretransmitted through the hub of the wheel or spokes.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of an automobile carriageequipped with my motor-wheels. of half of one of my wheels. Fig. 3 is asectional elevation, partly broken away. Fig. 4 shows a portion of thearmature-core in section. Fig. 5 is a plan of one of the armaturecorelaminations. Fig. 6 is a diagram of the magnetic circuits. Figs. 7, 8,and 9 show modified forms of field-windings.

Briefly stated, my motor-wheel comprises a stationary axle and two hubsrotatable thereon, each carrying a dished circular plate or Webconverging at their peripheries to a rim Fig. 2 is an axial section ortire. One of the reacting electrodynamic elements of the motor ismounted on the inside of the webs, and the other is rigidly secured tothe stationary axle between the two hubs. The details of constructionwill now be set forth.

The axle A is stationary, like an ordinary carriage'axle. It hascylindrical journal portions, preferably provided with bushings a a, onwhich are received the hubs B B of the rotatable portion of themotor-whee1that is, the hubs of the wheel, properly speaking. These hubsare preferably provided with roller-bearings, the rollers O for the hubB being slightly smaller than the rollers O of the hub B. This isbecause the outer journal at is made slightly smaller than the innerjournal a for convenience in assembling. The in ner hub B has a steelring Z) in its inner end, grooved to receive balls D, which are alsoreceived in a stationary grooved washer B secured on the axle andadjustable by means of screw-threads a and lock-nut A. The outer hub Bis provided with a similar ball-bearing ring I), cooperating with awasher B secured by a nut A Between the hubs B B a heavy collar E iskeyed to the axle, having hardened ball-bearing rings 6 e in each end,cooperating with similar rings 1) b in the hubs B B, respectively. Theselatter rings 5 b are axially adjustable on their hubs, preferably beinginternally threaded to engage screw-threads on the hubs. A set-screw benables each of these rings to be looked after adjustment. By means ofthese rings and the washers and their nuts the hubs can be adjustedaxially with reference to the stationary collar for a purposehereinafter explained.

Secured to the hubs by screw-bolts f are the annular plates or Webs F F,which form the body of the wheel and also serve as a casing for themotor and as a part of the field-magnets. These webs are preferably madeof heavy sheet-steel, such as boiler-plate, and they are dished, asshown, to give an arched form, enabling the wheel to resist side thrustsand twisting strains and providing ample room inside for theelectrodynamic elements. The peripheries of these webs converge and areunited in any manner suitable for supporting a tire, either pneumatic orotherwise. I prefer to bolt the Webs to a rim or spacingring G, soshaped as to afford a'good seat for the tire H. The ring may haveflanges g to receive the peripheries of the webs, which may be connectedwith the rim by angle-irons g and bolts f.

The webs and the collar E carry, respectively, the two reactingelectrodynamic elements of the motor. I prefer to arrange them as shownin the drawings, the armature being supported by the collar and thefield-coils by the webs.

The cores I of the field-magnets are secured by screws 1' to the insideof the webs F F, near their peripheries, being spaced equidistant andpreferably opposite each other. They are wound with coils K, andfilling-pieces I may be used behind the coils to afford a firm bearingfor their outer ends, or the core may be made solid in one piece.

The armature has a laminated annular core L, preferably built up insections Z, placed end to end, with the adjacent layers breaking joint.Heavier continuous plates or rings Z are used on the outside and inside.The laminations are perforated to admit radial clamping-bolts L,suitably insulated. The inner ends of the bolts are enlarged into flatheads Z which are received between annular plates L secured to thecollar E. These plates diverge from the core L to the hub, so that thecore is held very rigidly and immovably in a given position. The core ispreferably quite thin in a direction parallel with the axle, but deep ina radial direction. It has radial grooves on the sides to receive thewinding M. This is preferably a Gramme winding; but a drum or a wavewinding may be used when the arrangement of the fieldpoles requires it.This thin deep armature stands between the opposing poles of thefield-coils, as shown. The airgap is maintained at a predeterminedconstant by the rigid construction of the armature-support and thestiifness of the webs; but in case it needs adjusting the hubs B B canbe shifted axially, as above set forth. A hand-hole in each web,provided with a removable coverplate F gives access to the rings Z) band also to the commutator, brush-holders, and contacts.

The commutator-segments N are carried on an annular bracket N, securedto one of the plates L The brush-holders 0, whose number is of coursedependent upon the number of field-coils, are attached to one of thewebs.

The leads from the controller come in through a duct in the stationaryaxle and pass up through the stationary collar E to two sets ofterminalsarranged on the armature-support. On the commutator-bracket are twobrushes P, cooperating with the contact-rings R on the adjacent web,which are in circuit with the brushes.

Located near the armature-core are two contact-rings B, one on each sideof the armature-support and cooperating with contacts P, carried on oneof the field-coils and constituting the terminals of the field-circuitThe contact-rings R and the brushes which make contact with them are forthe purpose of conducting the current from the battery to the armaturethrough the brush-holders. In the usual form of motor the brush-holderis secured to a stationary field-frame and there is no need of suchcontact; but here the frame, which is the Wheel-web, revolves, andconsequently a moving cont-act must be provided. The rings R are in thesame way necessary to conduct the current to the fieldcoils. In bothcases one of the leading-wires is connected to one ring. The currentcomes to this ring and by the contact to the armature or field-coils andback by the other contact and ring to the battery. These contacts andrings assist in some degree in preserving the constancy of the air-gapbetween the fieldpoles and the armature.

By removing the screw-bolts f f either of the webs can be taken off,giving free access to the armature, the commutator, the bearings, andall other parts.

Vith the field-poles arranged as shown in Fig. 6-that is, with those oflike polarity opposite each other and the poles on each web alternatingin polaritythe magnetic flux is from the north poles into both sides ofthe armature, along the armature-core in both directions to pointsopposite the adjacent south poles on each side, thence through the coresof those field-coils to the web of the wheel, and back through the webto the north poles, as indicated bydotted lines in Fig. 6.' If unlikepoles are opposite and the poles on each web alternate, then themagnetic flux will be through the webs from pole to pole, as before, andalso straight across through the armature-core and up around through therim of the wheel. If all these poles on one web are alike and ofopposite polarity to those on the other web, the magnetic flux will bestraight across through the armature and up through the webs to the rim,and so around back again. In these last two cases, where the flux isacross through the armature, a drum or wave winding must be used on thearmature. As these involve a good deal of dead wire, I prefer the plainGramme winding and like field-poles facing each other, as shown in Fig.6.

When all the poles on one side are of the same polarity, the effect isthat of a spherical field, and this can be attained more simply and witha less weight of wire by the modifications shown in Fig. 7 and 8. Herethe field-coils S are wound on the hubs B B or on tubular extensions ofthe collar E. The two coils constitute, in magnetic effect, but onecoil, and the magnetic flux is through the hubs and collar, radiallyoutward in one web, through the pole-pieces 1 into and through thearmature to the pole-pieces I and radially inward to the hub. It thepole-pieces are arranged to project alternately over the armature, asshown in Fig. 7, then a Grammering winding can be used, thearmature-core being wide and shallower than the thin deep core shown inFig. 8, which must carry a drum or wave winding.

Another modification is shown in Fig. 9, where the two coils are woundin opposite directions, giving like poles on both webs and an oppositepole in the armature-core, the magnetic flux being not only radiallythrough the webs, bu it also radially through the plates L. In this forma Gramme-ring winding can be used on a thin deep armature-core.

In all these modifications possible polarities are indicated by theletters 11 s. It will be noted that in every instance the webs are anessential part of the magnetic circuit, and by utilizing them to carrythe magnetic flux I do away with heavy field-magnet frame and cores andmake the motor-wheel much lighter and more compact, besides having morespace for the operating parts inside the webs.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is-

1. An electricmotor wheel for vehicles, comprising a stationary axle,two hubs rotatably mounted thereon, a Web secured to each hub, awheel-tire carried on the peripheries of the webs, a stationaryelectrodynamic element secured to the axle between the two hubs, andmoving electrodynamic elements secured to the inside of both webs nearthe peripheries thereof and in proximity to and 2. An electricmotorwheel for vehicles,

comprising a stationary axle, a stationary electrodynamic elementsecured to said axle, two hubs one on each side of said element, webssecured to said hubs, a tire carried on the peripheries of said webs,moving electrodynamic elements secured to said webs on each side of thestationary element, and means for axially adjusting the hubs in order tomaintain the proper alinement of the parts and a predetermined air-gapbetween the stationary and the moving electrodynamic elements.

3. In an electric-motor wheel, the combination with a stationary axle,of a stationary collar secured thereto, and carrying one element of themotor, two hubs rotatably mounted on the axle, one on each side of thestationary collar and carrying the other element of the motor, anannular bearing in each end of the stationary collar, a correspondingannular bearing in the adjacent ends of the rotatable hubs, and meansfor axially adjusting said latter bearings in order to regulate therelative axial positions of the stationary collar and the rotatablehubs.

4. In an electric-motor wheel, the combination with a stationary axle,of a collar rigidly secured thereto, two rotatable hubs one on each sideof said collar, a ball-bearing ring in each end of the collar, ascrew-threaded section on the adjacent end of each hub, aninternally-sorew-threaded ball-bearing ring engaging said screw-threadedsection, and reacting electrodynamic elements carried by the collar andthe hubs, respectively.

5. In an electric-motor wheel, the combination with a stationary axle,of a collar rigidly secured thereto, annular plates secured to saidcollar, and converging at their peripheries, and an annulararmature-core, concentric with and secured to the outer edges of saidplates.

6. In an electric-motor wheel, the combination with a stationary axle,of a collar rigidly secured thereto, annular plates secured to saidcollar and converging at their peripheries, an annular laminatedarmaturecore, and radial clamping-bolts for said core, having Wide headsreceived between and secured to said plates.

7. In an electric-motor wheel, the combination with a stationary axle,of an armaturesupport rigidly secured thereto, a thin deep armature, acontact-ring on each side of said support near the armature, rotatableWheel- Webs carrying field-coils facing opposite sides of the armature,and a contact on one of the coils on each side, bearing against theadjacent contact-ring, and in circuit with the fieldcoils.

8 In an electric-motor Wheel, the combination With a stationary axle, ofan arm aturesupport rigidly secured thereto, an annular bracket securedon one side of said support, a commutator on said bracket,contact-brushes secured to said bracket, rotatable wheel-Webs,

brush-holders on one of said Webs, and contact-rings on said web bearingagainst said contact-brushes on the commutator-bracket.

9. An electric-motor Wheel, having two metallic webs forming the body ofthe Wheel, and constituting an essential part of the magnetic circuitthrough the reacting field-poles and armature.

10. An electric-motor Wheel, comprising a stationary axle, a stationaryelectrodynamic element secured thereto, two dished webs rotatable on theaxle and inclosing said stationary element, and a second electrodynamicelement having pole-pieces carried on said Webs, adjacent to saidstationary element, said webs constituting an essential part of themagnetic circuit.

In testimony whereof I atfix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JAMES THOMAS VVI-IITTLESEY.

Witnesses:

GEO. H. ANGER, 0. E. PEARCE.

